Joseph’s three coats (1)

Joseph’s three coats (1)

03 November 2018

‘Now Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph…[and] he made him a [coat] of many colours.’

Genesis 37:3 NKJV

Let’s look at the three different coats Joseph wore, as they present a picture of your life as a Christian. First, the coat of salvation. Notice, it was a ‘gift’ from his father; Joseph never paid a penny for it, or sewed a stitch, or provided an inch of fabric. And that’s the story of our salvation, isn’t it? The Bible says, ‘For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast’ (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV). Motivated by jealousy and resentment, Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit and dipped his coat in the blood of a goat in order to convince their father that he had been devoured by a wild beast. Are you getting the picture here? ‘The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7 NKJV). In Old Testament times, when someone sinned they brought a sacrificial lamb to the altar and the priest shed its blood as payment for their sins. But the priest did not examine the person, he examined the lamb. If the lamb was ‘worthy’, the person was accepted and their sins were atoned for. So the moment you acknowledge your sin and pray, ‘Father, I come in the name of Jesus, the Lamb of God,’ you are totally forgiven and accepted. ‘Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need’ (Hebrews 4:16 NKJV).